The National Gallery of Thailand is located near PhraPinklao Bridge, on Chao Fah Road of Bangkok. It was built in European architectural style, designed by Carlo Allegri, an Italian architect of Siamese Court. He was inspired by a machine factory in Birmingham, England, which was a two-storey building with a hip roof covered by kite shaped tiles. The main building was linked to two other buildings at both sides. They are one-storey buildings with each corners met in square shape. Roof edges, eaves, doors’ frames and windows’ frames are the works of beautifully perforated wood. The National Gallery of Thailandhad been the location of the Front Palace, a residence for KromPhraRajawangBovornSathanMongkol (Crown Prince of Siam,) since the reign of King Buddha YodfaChulaloke. Later, in the reign of King Chulalongkorn, the place became “RongKrasabSittikarn”, the first Royal Thai Mint. In 1974, it was 100th anniversary of Thai Museum. A project of building a new national museum of Modern Art was initiated by the Department of Fine Arts and was later approved by the Treasury Department, to convert the placeinto the National Gallery. After the renovation, it was open for the public on May 5, 1978.

Nowadays, the National Gallery of Thailand is a center of Thai art that collects and exhibits various kinds of artworks from Thai traditional style to contemporary style created by famous Thai artists from the past and the present. The gallery is divided into five parts; Thai Traditional Art Exhibition Room, Western Styled Thai Art Exhibition Room, The King’s Honor Celebration Exhibition Room, 2475 B.E. – Present Art Exhibition Room, and Travelling Exhibition Room. Thai Traditional Art Exhibition Room displays Thai traditional paintings which has been created through unique techniques and has been passed along for generations until the painting techniques became a custom. These paintings mainly portray Buddhism-related stories along with Thai literatures and lifestyle of the people in the past. The example of the artworks in this room arePhra Bot (Thai Traditional paintings on fabrics) from Aytthaya Era, the painting painted by Prince NarisaraNuvadtivongs and the collection of paintings with accompanying poems from the period of King Rama V’s reign. Western Styled Thai Art Exhibition Room exhibits Western artworks created by westerners that were employed by the Siamese Court and Thai artists that had studied art from abroad. In this room, there is a portrait painting of King Rama V, painted by a western artist, using screen-printing technique.The King’s Honor Celebration Exhibition Room displays artworks created by Thai Kings such as paintings painted by King Vajiravudh and King BhumibolAdulyadej, for people to admire their capabilities in art. 2475 B.E. – Present Art Exhibition Room collects artworks from 1932 to 1967, since the beginning of Siamese Revolution, 1932, which changed the system of government in Siam from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. The room displays paintings such as the works of SilpaBhirasri and FuaHaripitak and Thai artworks since 2511 B.E. The gallery including Travelling Exhibition Room opens on Wednesday – Sunday, from 9.00 a.m. to 16.00 p.m., and closes on holidays. Entrance fee is 30 baht for Thais and 200 baht for foreigners. For more information, contact 02-281-2224 or 02-282-2639-40.

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